It's almost time for the U.S. Open. The last Grand Slam tournament for this year. Who would do well? I'm keeping my eyes on Roger Federer. The current world number 1. Arguably the best ever. Will Rafael Nadal prove, again, to be the thorn on Federer's side that just won't go away? After beating Nadal in Wimbledon this year [exacting sweet revenge after the Spaniard spoilt the Swiss master's bid to hold all four grand slam titles (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open)], his fourth consecutive title in SW19, will Roger Federer again face his nemesis in this tournament's final, or can someone else from the ranks cause upset and eliminate the defending champion before he even reach the final? Will the Federer-Nadal rivalry live up to its hype and provide us viewers and tennis fans some good tennis to drool over? I certainly hope so.
As for the girls, I'm hoping Justine Henin-Hardenne will do well. After losing Wimbledon to Amelie Mauresmo, this one can be hers for the taking. This year's French Open champion (and last year's too) has battled plenty of injuries to come back to her form, and there's something about her demeanor that reminds me of Steffi Graf (who, for me, is the best tennis player ever). I believe Maria Sharapova is pretty, and talented to boot, but I her grunting bothers me. It's just too much. Well, that's just me. I'm sure a lot of the guys would disagree.
But the highlight of this year's U.S. Open, whether he does well or otherwise, will be Andre Agassi. He's hanging up his racket after this one, so there certainly would be lots of love for the veteran player. The whole Arthur Ashe stadium would be rooting for him, that's for sure. Maybe he'll manage to make some magic happen again. Like last year - when he reached the final. So what if Federer won the title? He's the best this guy has ever played with anyway. He's going to be missed. That pigeon-toed walk, those bright, "unbelievably cordial" eyes (according to his wife, he's perfect!), the kiss he blows every corner after a match, and a lot of other things about this legend. He brought much life to tennis. A sport a lot of people found too sad and boring. His accomplishments are unquestionable, he helps a lot of people with his charitable works, he’s married to Steffi Graf (who retired in 1999), and, boy, don’t they have adorable children! Normally, this stuff, I don’t mind much. Tennis is what matters. The game, the determination of the players, those sweeping volleys, punishing forehands, powerful backhands, and graceful footwork. But how many times in history has someone from the courts find a match that proved to be perfect beyond everything tennis has to offer? I became an avid tennis fan just recently, and browsing everything that’s been said about this couple, I’m suddenly a fan.
But for now, let’s focus on the present. Let the games begin. Soon.
I love steffi graf!